Fashion Designer Christian Espiritu Dies at 89
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Couturier and fashion designer Christian Espiritu, who helped to define Imelda Marcos’ glamorous style, died on Sunday.
His death at the age of 89 was announced by his daughter Talitha in a social media post. She was not immediately available to comment Thursday.
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The Filipino talent first trained as an architect at the University of Santo Tomas, before going on to establish himself in the field of fashion. Espiritu worked as a draftsman for the country’s National Artist for Architecture Leandro V. Locsin for two years. That experience proved fruitful in other ways down the road. As a fashion designer, he enlisted Locsin’s elegant and graceful younger sister Moni, who became the in-demand model among Filipino fashion designers in the ’60s. Her Hiroko-style haircut made her a standout among other models that included socialites Chona Kasten, Mary Prieto, Toni Serrano and Pearlie Arcache — until Locsin “did a Greta Garbo and left the scene,” Espiritu once explained.
But it was his couture creations for Marcos that defined his place in the Filipino fashion industry. As her go-to designer at that time, he created heavily embroidered gowns for the then-first lady to wear during state visits to the U.S., Cuba and China. Marcos also reportedly wore a Espiritu design to the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire in Persepolis in 1971. That monumental occasion led to another invitation — the unveiling of the $7.5 million North Wing at the Detroit Institute of Art. At the opening night party, Marcos told WWD that she had been invited by the event’s host Cristina Ford when they were in Iran together earlier in the year. The former beauty queen was resplendent in what looked to be an Espiritu-designed well-structured and heavily embroidered gown. Marcos, who bunked for the night at Ford’s home along with Jeanette de Rothschild, told WWD, “I come to the U.S. very often, but I do not very often attend events like this.”
However, her designer of choice eventually parted ways with her. Espiritu later took part in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. Born in Parañaque, the multitalented designer would later venture into other fields, but the Philippines remained the base for the bulk of his professional career.
During her husband Ferdinand’s 20-year reign, Marcos was a domineering force in the Philippines. Nicknamed “the Steel Butterfly,” the former first lady splurged on fashion to an nth degree and amassed what said to be 3,000 pairs of shoes. “Imelda,” a 2003 Independent Lens documentary film by Ramona S. Diaz, chronicles the former first lady’s rise and fall, the controversial 1969 elections, the 1972 advent of martial law and a failed assassination attempt on the former first lady. Espiritu is also featured and reportedly suggested that seamstresses were going blind from hand-embroidering her gowns that were often ordered with little advance time.
Diaz did not respond immediately to a media request Thursday.
The Hispanic Society of America’s director Guillaume Kientz said Thursday that Espiritu’s “creative genius breathed life into Imelda Marcos’ wardrobe, especially the “ternos” that she wore “to some of the world’s most important appointments and events.”
The terno was a signature look for the former first lady, who helped to elevate the style as a symbol of wealth and status. Derived from the Spanish word meaning “matched,” terno refered to a matching ensemble comprised of a blouse, skirt, overskirt and kerchief. Known as “traje de mestiza,” this layered ensemble dates back to the 1830s and became the standard dress for women of all backgrounds in the colonial Philippines.
Blending traditional Philippine aesthetics with modern sophistication, his designs and “collaborations with Imelda Marcos elevated Filipino fashion onto a global stage, placed it in the spotlight and showcased the rich artistic heritage of the Philippines,” Kientz said.
Acknowledging his “indelible” mark on the fashion industry, Kientz said, “We hope that his vision will continue to inspire generations of designers, ensuring his legacy lives on.”
Fashion designer Josie Natori had a firsthand couture experience with Espiritu when she was 19 years old in the late ’60s. He designed the embroidered structured gown that had an architectural feel that Natori wore for her second performance concert with an orchestra in Manila. “He was one of those up-and-coming couture designers. At that time, everything was just couture. It was a very small circle of the more influential designers,” Natori said. “Through the years, he had a very robust business.”
In the ’60s and ’70s, the well-mannered and contained professional succeeded in what was “a beautiful time in the Philippines. If you were to compare it to this country, it was a time, when the Babe Paleys of the world rose up in society. There were lots of parties. People dressed up. Mrs. Marcos had established lots of arts events and cultural centers. It was the heyday, when art was really celebrated. He was part of that and a great society designer,” Natori said.
In 1980, he also ventured into filmmaking, by writing and directing the movie “Alaga” that featured Edu Manzano. During the ’80s, he also forged into costume design for multiple films including “Gaano Kadal ang Minsa” in 1982, and “To Love Again” the following year.
A father of four, Espiritu lived in New York City for several years in the mid-’90s, but he had showed off his designs Stateside decades before. In 1975, Espiritu participated in a New York fashion show that was part of a continuing effort to promote textiles and ready-to-wear that was made in the Philippines. The Manila-based designer’s eveningwear, as well as the other runway items, were well-received by executives from Bonwit Teller, Takashimaya, Bloomingdale’s and other key retailers at that time.
After his success in fashion and the film industry, Espiritu reinvented himself again working as a columnist and artist for the Philippine Star. He also dug deeper into his passion for gardening, once explaining in a 2020 interview, “Like the exquisite embroidery or intricate beadwork my creations were known for, my plants take the place of thread, sequins and beads. I am lucky to employ a personal assistant who likewise adores plants and has what one may call a green thumb.”
Predeceased by his wife Gli Limcaoco, Espiritu is survived by his daughter and his other children, whose names were not known at press time.
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